Community Safety — Tom Ryff

Message from the Chief – October 3, 2012

October 3, 2012 By Tom Ryff

Dear Tempe Police Employees,

Over the past many months, we have been in the process of building a new program to further enhance safety in our community. ‘Offender Watch’ includes components specific to law enforcement use, as well as interactive components available to community members at tempe.gov/police. The program is targeted to go live on our website in the near future. A hard launch is planned for Halloween week, at which time we will be making notifications to our community, City Council and the media.

A huge “thank you” to the Investigations Bureau, Police Technical Services and our Strategic Planning, Analysis and Research Center (SPARC). The Sex Crimes Unit Detectives and supervisory chain of command are consummate law enforcement professionals, and implacable in their determination to protect victims, prevent sex crimes, pursue suspects, and prosecute sex offenders. Offender Watch is yet another prime example of the Tempe Police employee commitment to continuous improvement in preventing and fighting crime.

We have streamlined the sex offender registration process, increased efficiencies and enhanced our response capabilities. Literally every moment counts during a child abduction or attempted luring, and makes this increased capability especially critical. Detectives, Crime Analysts, Communications Staff and Police Officers patrolling our streets will have real-time access to more investigative information than ever before, including case notes, photos of offenders and more.

It is important to assure that individuals subject to the sex offender registration protocols are in legal compliance, and equally important to emphasize that we as a police agency protect the rights of everyone in our community.

I have continually emphasized the importance of strategic innovation, technology, and partnerships to fight crime. This program greatly enhances our ability to search locally, statewide, and nationwide for offender information, and is already assisting us in investigations that cross borders. OffenderWatch is in use by more than 1,000 agencies nationwide; local agencies currently include MCSO, Mesa PD, Glendale PD, and Avondale PD, with other metro area agencies reviewing the program currently.

In the near future, community members will be able to sign up on our TPD website for alerts if a sex offender moves into their neighborhood. We have created a distribution email list which notifies key personnel from our city, schools, day cares, and other designated recipients that a sex offender has moved into one of our neighborhoods.

Limited information on Level 2 and Level 3 (legally reportable) offenders will be provided, as is currently available on the DPS website. OffenderWatch has the added advantage of being specific to Tempe, as uploaded by our detectives. The site will also include helpful tips and information for community safety and the user acessibility is similar to accessing neighborhood crime statistics on RAIDSonline.com.

Why is sex offender notification so important? As will be provided on our OffenderWatch website, statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice show that:

Appx 45% of sexual assault victims are under 12 years old
Appx 75% of victims know their attacker
Appx 80% of all addresses have at least one offender within 1 mile
Over half of rape/sexual assault incidents occur within a mile of the victim’s home
Sex offenders cross socio-economic boundaries, living in both affluent and less affluent neighborhoods

I’m very proud of the police employees who worked so hard to build and implement the OffenderWatch program. Your hard work and professionalism are truly valued and appreciated. Without a doubt, your efforts and teamwork have a direct, immediate and long-term impact on the safety of our Tempe community.

Thank you for all you do. Stay safe!

Sincerely, Tom

Message from the Chief – April 11, 2011

April 12, 2011 By Tom Ryff

Dear Tempe Police Employees,

Recently I participated in a ‘ridealong’ with police employees from our Communications Center at the Apache police substation. During the shift, Communications Center employees remain focused and unwavering in the face of pressure, making critical decisions that directly impact community member and officer lives.

The professionals of the City of Tempe Police Communications Center provide life-saving services vital to community members’ everyday lives. They work quickly, efficiently and capably. Police Communications personnel truly are our community’s first responders, daily working above and beyond the call of duty in situations of great stress and suffering to facilitate resolution of emergency situations including vehicle collisions, fires, suicidal persons, assaults, and countless other calls for assistance.

At last Thursday’s April 7 City Council Session, the Mayor formally recognized the great work of our Communications staff. Several employees attended to accept the proclamation. The Mayor noted that 911 Call Takers assist the caller with support and emergency instruction that save lives. Dispatchers provide the critical connection between the emergency crews and those experiencing an emergency, insuring that the commensurate personnel and resources are dispatched to the call. He recognized Tactical Radio Operators for providing a life-saving and critical communications function in connecting public safety agencies and personnel to one another on-scene and en route to hospitals.

Quite simply, the health and safety of Tempe residents and police officers depend on the stellar services of the Tempe Police communications professionals who serve our community 24/7.

This week is Public Safety Telecommunicator Week. Please take the time to show your appreciation to your colleagues in the Communications Center who do such a fantastic job.

Sincerely,

Tom